{"id":355574,"date":"2026-01-26T09:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T23:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=355574"},"modified":"2026-01-26T09:40:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T23:40:43","slug":"abc-satire-on-smallpox-claim-sparks-australia-day-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=355574","title":{"rendered":"ABC Satire on Smallpox Claim Sparks Australia Day Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The satirical show ‘Always Was Tonight,’ hosted by Indigenous presenter and former AFL player Tony Armstrong<\/a>, aired on ABC TV on January 21, 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sketch referenced a contested 1789 theory that British settlers deliberately spread smallpox to Aboriginal people<\/a> near Sydney<\/a>, killing about half the local population\u2014though mainstream historians attribute it to accidental introduction, with no primary evidence of intent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics like former MP Craig Kelly<\/a> called it a ‘long-debunked myth’ meant to inflame resentment, intensifying calls to defund the taxpayer-funded ABC, while defenders praised its bold take on Indigenous perspectives amid ongoing Australia Day tensions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A ‘long-debunked myth’ meant to inflame resentment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":355582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,35],"tags":[997,14576,19370,19367],"class_list":["post-355574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-breaking-news","tag-australia-day","tag-craig-kelly","tag-small-pox","tag-tony-armstrong"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t